Computer-based operating room support system

ABSTRACT

A computer-based surgery support system and method for obtaining information of surgical procedures from networked equipment in an operating room, storing the retrieved information in a database, receiving a request for the stored information from a user terminal, and providing the stored information in accordance with the received request. The networked equipment may be configured for use in cataract surgical procedures, such as a phacoemulsification system.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

N/A

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is generally related to methods, devices, andsystems related to apparatuses used in all types of eye surgery, such asfor controlling surgical fluid flows and the like. In particular, thedisclosed methods, devices, and systems may be used to improve practicesin surgeries such as cataract, Lasik, laser cataract, vitreoretinal,glaucoma, etc.

BACKGROUND

A cataract is a clouding of the natural lens of the eye which leads to adecrease in vision, eventually resulting in blindness. The visual lossoccurs because the clouded lens obstructs light that would otherwisepass through the lens to the retina at the back of the eye. Cataractsare commonly treated with a surgical procedure to remove the cloudednatural lens from the eye and replace it with a clear artificial lens.Phacoemulsification refers to a stage of cataract surgery in which theeye's natural lens is emulsified by applying ultrasonic energy to thelens with a handpiece, and aspirated from the eye by applying a vacuumtube to the emulsified lens material. During the procedure, irrigationis performed and aspirated material is replaced using a balanced saltsolution, thereby maintaining pressure in the interior of the eye. Theemulsified and aspirated lens is replaced with a clear artificialintraocular lens (IOL).

To perform such a procedure, a surgeon often utilizes acomputer-controlled system of specialized equipment called aphacoemulsification system to ultrasonically emulsify and aspirate thenatural lens of the eye prior to inserting the IOL. Phacoemulsificationsystems use various computer programs for performing various tasks,controlled in part by adjusting settings of the programs to drive motorsand pumps, for example, to emulsify and aspirate the subject lensmaterial and to do other tasks necessary to complete the surgery.Different phacoemulsification systems may provide different programs.Further, different programs may be used in different situations. Theprogram settings selected typically take into account the particularsubject eye on which surgery is performed based for example onmeasurements of the eye and various other aspects of the patient'sphysiology.

The duration of a cataract surgical procedure commonly varies from aboutfive to about forty minutes or more. Information pertaining to theprocedure is generally monitored and recorded by equipment in theoperating room or by operating room staff during the procedure. Theequipment in the operating room may include a microphone and/or videocamera, the phacoemulsification system, and the like. Informationmonitored and recorded before, during, and after the procedure mayinclude information such as the time needed to set up and prepare theoperating room, the length of the procedure, the amount of ultrasonicenergy applied to the lens to emulsify it, medications and othersupplies consumed during the procedure, characteristics of the IOLimplanted, the time needed to clean the operating room after theprocedure, patient recovery time, and the like. During the procedure,information such as the amount of energy applied to emulsify the lens,the amount of vacuum applied to aspirate, the flow rate, a microscopicview of the operating field, and the like, may be displayed on a userinterface of the phacoemulsification system, or on a separate screen,computer, or other viewing device, and may be monitored and verballyreported by support staff during the procedure. At least some of thisdata, along with doctor's notes of the procedure, is commonly placedmanually in the patient's file after the conclusion of the procedure.

If data such as the emulsifying energy applied to the lens is notrecorded during the procedure, retrieving such data from the surgicalequipment is inconvenient, and may be difficult to accomplish. Moreover,phacoemulsification system data from previously performed cataractsurgeries is not conveniently organized.

Further, if a surgeon requests a summary of a plurality of suchprocedures, for example, an informational summary of surgeries performedduring a particular day in the past, or a summary of surgical case dataand energy usage over a period of time, the staff must perform apainstaking, time-consuming, manual process of retrieving patient files,accumulating the desired data, and formatting it for presentation. Insome prior art systems, electronic data collection methods are availablebut are limited to downloading information of surgical procedures fromthe phacoemulsification system onto a USB stick and copying it to acomputer for decoding, compiling, formatting, and reporting.

One way to determine the length of a procedure is to record a video ofthe surgical procedure and thereafter review the video of the procedure,noting the time at the beginning and end of the procedure. The surgicalprocedure may be recorded by a so-called Surgical Media Center (SMC),which creates a video of the procedure and may record other surgicaldata during the surgery in real time. An SMC will typically recordcertain predetermined data, but cannot keep track of everything.Moreover, although the SMC can record the procedure on video, it cannotdetermine on its own when the actual procedure began or when theprocedure is deemed complete.

Further, SMC and phacoemulsification system program settings, such aswhich aspects of the procedure are recorded, are a matter of personalpreference of the surgeon, and thus can vary from one surgeon to anotherleading to inconsistent results. Typically, the surgeon selectsapparatus settings appropriate for a particular procedure, but may notremember all of the settings actually in use during each procedure. If aquestion subsequently arises regarding what the actual settings usedwere during a particular procedure, the surgeon may defer to hisSMC/phaco equipment specialist to determine the settings that were used,or may wait until the next available opportunity to visually review thesettings of the relevant apparatus and then manually write them down forfuture reference. If the surgeon wishes to modify SMC and/or phacosystem settings from one procedure to another, or copy a set of settingsfrom one unit to another, she/he must manually change the systemsettings or export the settings to a recording medium such as a USBstick to be copied onto the other machine. These processes areinconvenient and prone to error.

In addition, a large variety of supplies are consumed during a typicalcataract surgery. Tracking and replacing the consumables is a manualprocess that typically involves a purchaser manually interacting onlinewith a supplier ordering system, or directly contacting a customerservice department of a supplier to place an order.

SUMMARY

A computer-based surgery support system, including an applicationexecutable on a mobile device and arranged to interface with one or moreoperating room device or system that is coupled to a data communicationnetwork. The operating room may be arranged to perform or support anytype of surgery including eye surgeries, such as cataract, Lasik, lasercataract, vitreoretinal, glaucoma, etc., surgeries. In embodiments, theoperating room equipment may include one or more of a computer-basedphacoemulsification system, a Surgical Media Center (SMC), and a lasermachine. The application can provide access to surgical procedure data,including the start and stop times and duration of a procedure, energyapplied to a lens during phacoemulsification, and settings of thephacoemulsification system programs. Responsive to a user request, theapplication may automatically present a predetermined selection ofinformation in a predefined format, and record select information ofeach procedure in respective patients' electronic files or in a summaryreport for easy cross-referencing with a patient's file. The supportsystem also provides for convenient centralized storage of respectivesurgeons' preferred surgical media center and/or phacoemulsificationsystem program settings, tracks the operation of phacoemulsificationsystem programs during a procedure, and allows changes to those settingsbetween procedures. The support system also tracks consumables usedduring procedures, and provides an interface to order entry systems toplace orders and replenish inventory. System users may also share dataand information with other users and systems.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and areintended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification. The drawings illustrate disclosedembodiments and/or aspects and, together with the description, serve toexplain the principles of the invention, the scope of which isdetermined by the claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates a diagram of an exemplary computer-based cataractoperating room system according to the disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a computerized device in accordance with thedisclosure; and

FIG. 3 illustrates a method of using a computer-based cataract operatingroom system according to the disclosure.

FIGS. 4-12 show exemplary charts and graphs illustrating the display ofinformation provided by the system on a user terminal.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It is to be understood that the figures and descriptions provided hereinmay have been simplified to illustrate aspects that are relevant for aclear understanding of the herein described apparatus, systems, andmethods, while eliminating for the purpose of clarity other aspects thatmay be found in typical apparatus, systems, and methods. Those ofordinary skill in the pertinent arts may recognize that other oradditional elements and/or steps may be desirable and/or necessary toimplement the apparatus, systems, and methods described herein. Becausesuch elements and steps are well known to those of ordinary skill, andbecause they do not facilitate a better understanding of the hereindisclosed apparatus, systems, and methods, a discussion of such elementsand steps may not be provided herein. However, the present disclosure isdeemed to inherently include all such elements, variations, andmodifications to the described aspects that would be known to those ofordinary skill in the pertinent arts.

The herein disclosed apparatus, systems, and methods provide to a userwith a networked user terminal the ability to interact with one or moredevices or systems having a network interface in an operating room. Theoperating room may be arranged to perform or support eye surgeries, suchas, for example, cataract, Lasik, laser cataract, vitreoretinal,glaucoma surgeries. In embodiments, the operating room equipment mayinclude one or more of a computer-based phacoemulsification system, aSurgical Media Center (SMC), a laser machine, and the like. With theuser terminal, the user may obtain information from the operating roomequipment, either directly via their respective network interfaces, orindirectly through a server that obtains information from the operatingroom equipment. The network interfaces of the operating room equipmentand the user terminal may be wired, such as interfaces to Ethernetnetworks compliant with IEEE 802 network interface standards, or may bewireless, such as air interfaces to cellular data, Bluetooth, or WIFInetworks. The user terminal may be a mobile device such as a smartphone, tablet, portable computer, personal desktop computer or the like.The communication network may be private or public, and may includecommunication over the Internet.

The system thus communicatively couples the user terminal to theoperating room equipment, either directly or through an intermediaryserver, enabling retrieval of select information of one or more surgicalprocedures, and allowing the retrieved information to be presented tothe user in a predetermined format, which may include tabular,graphical, and/or textual information. The user may also obtainoperating room equipment settings, surgical case data, energy usage(e.g. phaco energy), and the like. Such equipment settings may be storedfor later use in another cataract operation procedure. Further, thesettings may be modified by the user for use in another procedure.

In embodiments, an application running on the user terminal or on theserver may analyze the retrieved information, for example, to determineoperating room trends, generate metrics such as the average time betweencases, apply select filters, and set thresholds. The analyzedinformation may then be formatted for such uses as presentations. Forexample, the application can determine and format for presentation alisting a limited number of procedures by efficiency, for example.

Thereby, the system can facilitate surgical procedure efficiencyimprovement in several ways. For example, an intra-case timing profilemay be developed that provides an estimate of how much time is remainingduring various stages of a multi-stage procedure. The estimate may bemodified based on a particular surgeon's preferences to reflect thatsurgeon's probable timing profile. The profile may include anyidentified activities involved in a surgical procedure, such aspre-surgery activities, patient preparation, surgical instrumentpreparation, and the like. Operating room management and notificationsmay thereby be based on an analysis of past doctor performance. Forexample, the analysis may include an analysis of only an identifieddoctor's past procedures, and/or may include an analysis of pastperformances of a plurality of doctors. The analysis may thus provide anestimate during a multi-stage surgical procedure of how long before thecurrent stage is completed, or how long before the next stage begins,how long the rest of the entire procedure is likely to take, forexample. The estimate may be modified in real time to account for tasksthat arise during a procedure that deviate from the norm, such asperforming a vitrectomy that lengthens the surgical procedure, forexample.

In embodiments, the obtained operating room data may be reviewed on theuser terminal using one or more applications and/or application modulesrunning on the user terminal. In addition, information of a plurality ofprocedures may be obtained, compiled, analyzed, formatted, and providedto the user terminal responsive to a user request. The data may beanalyzed in any desire manner, for example, to determine if the surgicalprocess or operating room is functioning efficiently. Thus, inembodiments a user may use a user terminal to view information ofprocedures the user participated in, or may view, information of otherusers' data. In embodiments, the user may select which surgicalprocedure stages, features, or other elements are included in arequested analysis. Thereby, the user may determine how efficient othersare compared to the user's own performance, for example.

The use of surgical equipment used during a procedure may be obtained,and one or more metrics developed to characterize various aspects of theprocedure. Such procedure aspects which may be stored include aphacoemulsification system hand piece tip size, pump type used, lensdensity, or patient-specific complications encountered such asIntraoperative Floppy Iris Syndrome (IFIS), and the like.

In an embodiment of the present invention, such information may be usedto generate a procedure evaluation score that provides an efficiencyindicator. Such an indicator may take into account any aspects of acataract operation procedure or plurality of procedures that are deemedrelevant by a user. For example, an indicator can be developed using thesystem to account for a particular combination of elements andinformation such as lens density, hand piece type, energy applied, forexample. The developed score may be stored for the use of the particularuser alone, or may be shared as desired. For example, a score may bestored in a user file and used as a basis for comparing a plurality ofprocedures. Further, accumulated data from one or more machines may beused to create scores designed by a user to provide comparativeindicators based on facility, and/or geographic operating region, forexample.

Applications running on or accessible via a user terminal may provide auser with the ability to retrieve networked operating room equipmentprogram settings, such as program settings of a phacoemulsificationsystem. The settings may be saved at the user terminal or at the server.In addition, settings maybe modified for future use. Further, aplurality of groups of settings may be developed by a surgeon, forexample based on a plurality of procedures performed on a range ofdifferent patients, in different facilities, using various equipmentwith various staff and/or having other situationally relevant aspects.Groups of settings may be developed for use by the surgeon in differentanticipated environments. A select group of settings may be retrievedand used to set up networked operating room equipment before aprocedure, based on the peculiarities of the particular operatingenvironment. In an embodiment, a select group of settings may be appliedto multiple operating room equipment or systems via the network and userterminal.

In an embodiment, a user terminal may be used to obtain historical datastored on the user terminal, phaco system, server, and/or SMC, toanalyze trends of selected cases as an aid to determine modifiedsettings on phaco systems and the like. In an embodiment, a userterminal may be used to obtain stored historical data to analyze trendsof select cases. In embodiments, an application on the user terminal orphaco system may use such analyses to make suggestions regardingmodifications to user settings on the phaco or other systems improvetechnique, outcomes, and/or efficiency. In addition, historical data maybe used to suggest other available technology that may be used with thephaco system, or upgrades that may be downloaded to the system, such asto adjust, optimize, and/or improve the user's techniques, outcomes,and/or efficiency.

In an embodiment of the present invention, a user terminal may be usedto obtain information of procedures performed. An application running onthe user terminal or on a server can be arranged to organize theobtained data so that it is meaningful to the user, such as in a chart,table, text, or the like. This data, and other information such asvideos from a networked surgical media center (SMC) located in anoperating room may be accumulated and analyzed over time. Such data maybe used for many things, including retrospective studies.

In an embodiment of the present invention, a “start procedure” buttonmay be provided on a device or system in the operating room, for exampleon the phaco machine, to indicate when a procedure is beginning andending, and/or when each stage of a staged procedure isbeginning/ending. This may provide a consistent, reliable basis on whichto determine the timing and efficiency of procedures performed in theoperating room. If the button is in coupled to an SMC in the operatingroom, it may be used to invoke the recording functions of the SMC.Thereby, procedures performed by different surgeons may be put on a moreconsistent base, rendering time-based comparisons more valid. In theprior art for example, some sites may define the beginning of aprocedure as when a “Prime” button or the like is pressed, while othersmay define the start of a procedure as when the surgeon presses a footpedal. In an illustrative operation, the “start procedure” button may bepressed twice at the beginning of a procedure. The first press mayinitiate the SMC recording, and the second press may signify the formalbeginning of the procedure. Similarly, the completion of a procedure canbe signaled either by a user act such as pressing an “end procedure”button, or by performing an act that ordinarily indicates the end of aprocedure, such as ejecting a tubing pack from a phacoemulsificationmachine.

In an embodiment of the present invention, operating room data mayinclude a video recording of a view of the operational field under amicroscope during the procedure, in addition to other real time surgicalprocedure information from the phaco system or the like. Further, thevideo signal of the microscope view, and/or an audio or video signal ofthe operating room from the SMC, may be streamed to the network.Thereby, an application running on the user terminal may serve as anindependent monitor. For example, a surgeon or nurse in a break room cansee what stage the procedure is at in a nearby operating room. Inanother example, students at a teaching institution can view a livesurgery from a lecture hall, or on their personal devices while theprocedure is being performed at a surgery center. In an embodiment ofthe present invention, a user terminal application may support multipleviews simultaneously on the same screen, such as multiple view of thesame room, or views of a plurality of operating rooms. Moreover, aplurality of user terminals may be used to monitor the same audio orvideo feed.

In an embodiment of the present invention, voice confirmation or voicecontrol may be used with the system. For example, voice commands may beused to activate the SMC and identify activities of the procedure to theSMC for recording. In embodiments, a networked microphone may be used totake verbal notes, which may be overlaid on an SMC recording in realtime during the procedure, or later during a review of the SMCrecording, such as for use in creating notes for the surgical procedure.Such audio notes may be included in the patient file for reference.

In an embodiment of the present invention, a networked server in datacommunication with the networked operating room equipment may be used toobtain and store information of surgical procedures. Applications thatoperate on the obtained data may then be executed either at the server,or at user terminals, or both, such as distributed applications thathave executable elements on both the server and the user terminal. Inaddition, the server may be arranged to provide a portal for users toaccess and share their data with other users and may act as an ecommerceserver for executing transactions involving the obtained data.

The server may be arranged to interface with one or more supplierpurchasing systems to enable users to more easily purchase itemspertaining to the operating room. For example, with regard to a phacosystem, the server may be used to obtain software updates ofapplications already installed on the phaco system, or new features notyet installed, such as language packs, for example. The server may beused to order accessories and supplies used in the operating room, suchas surgical equipment, packs, tips, sleeves, intraocular lenses, and thelike. In an embodiment of the present invention, the server can bearranged to automatically order supplies that have been consumed, forexample, after each procedure, or periodically in accordance with a setschedule, or as triggered by inventory levels dropping to apredetermined threshold.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the server may be arranged toprovide direct or indirect access to a supplier customer service center,and may be used to create customer service requests. Further, the servermay be arranged to interface with one or more user emailsystems/accounts, and may be used to email SMC recorded videos tointerested parties such as patients or associates. The server may alsobe arranged to provide an online forum, such as a social network, whereusers can create threads and discuss items of interest with each other.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the server may be arranged toobtain customer feedback. For example, online forms may be provided topatients to solicit their feedback regarding the effectiveness of theirprocedure, both in the short term and longer term over defined intervalsof time. For example, an email may be sent to patients every six monthsinviting them to access the server online to participate in a survey andto provide comments and updates regarding their ongoing condition.Moreover, information may be obtained from online forums hosted on theserver or accessible to the server, such as, for example, a socialnetwork.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the server may be used tohost software demos, training videos, equipment manuals, new productinformation, advertising, and the like, which may also be accessed via auser terminal. In addition, tools for surgeons and other operating roompersonnel may be hosted and provided online via the server. For example,lens calculators such as the toric calculator, lens alignment tools, andother diagnostic tools may be made available and/or provided in anupdated and real time manner to the user. The tools may be available onthe user terminal, the phaco system, SMC, other operating roomequipment, and/or server, and information from the tools may betransferred there between.

Supplies used may also be tracked with a reading device, such as, forexample, a networked bar code reader, in data communication with theserver, by reading barcodes of supplies consumed during the procedure.The user terminal can be used to view information stored on the serversuch as usage charts showing the supplies that were used. Supplies maybe replenished automatically by the system, or may be re-orderedmanually using information provided by the system. The reading devicemay take the form of a smartphone having an application for facilitatingthe reading of a barcode, for example, or other type of identifying tag,such as a NCF tag, or the like.

In an illustrative operation, a surgeon who has just purchased a modularophthalmic microsurgical system, such as phacoemulsification system, mayalso acquire a separate user terminal at the same time for interactingwith the system. The surgeon may use the app to browse settings used byhimself or by other surgeons, and may retrieve preferred settings oredit retrieved settings as desired. Preferred settings may then beuploaded to a select phaco system for use during a procedure.

In another illustrative operation, after completing a days' worth ofsurgery, a head nurse may use a user terminal to obtain, accumulate,analyze, format, and review the day's procedures, and store them in afile.

In embodiments, formatted information may include one or more ofoperating room efficiency, energy usage flow rate, vacuum rate,procedure time, time between procedures, procedures per selected timeperiod, characteristics of a plurality of surgeons, characteristics of aplurality of operating room staff persons, and a comparison of suppliesused in a plurality of procedures. Further, the analysis results mayinclude a correlation of information pertaining to a plurality ofsurgical procedures, efficiency, product usage, and phacoemulsificationsystem program settings.

In yet another illustrative operation, the surgeon may view video demoshosted on the server regarding phaco system software features alreadyobtained or available for purchase. The surgeon may purchase a desiredfeature and install it on a select phaco system. The surgeon may alsoobtain and install operational settings with regard to the purchasedfeature for the type of procedures the surgeon performs using the phacosystem. Illustratively, the surgeon may install new features on a trialbasis at no or reduced cost. Further, the surgeon may post comments to aforum hosted on the server regarding the trial features. As moresurgeries are performed the server may be arranged to automaticallyaccumulate relevant procedure data, for example, to develop commonprocedure timing profiles.

In a further illustrative operation, the surgeon may use the voice overfunction to overlay audio onto the SMC files, and save the edited SMCfiles for later use, such as for a podium presentation.

As noted, the server may be arranged to host and/or monitor relevantuser forums, and may discover customer feedback through the forum thatidentifies desired product enhancements, which may lead to thedevelopment of product improvements.

Referring now to FIG. 1 , a cataract operating room support system isillustrated. Network attached equipment in an operating room 100 inwhich cataract surgery is performed may include a computer-basedphacoemulsification system 105, computer-based surgery media center(SMC) 110, as well as other equipment such as video camera 115 andmicrophone 120. Other devices (not shown) may also include a microscopeand/or additional viewing screens. Each networked device has a networkidentifier, such as an internet protocol IP address, which may be usedto access the device over the network. The equipment may be coupled torouter 125, which may perform a network address translation (NAT)function to the operating room equipment coupled thereto, as is known inthe art. Computer-readable information may be obtained from theoperating room equipment from user terminal 130, either directly vianetwork connection 135, or indirectly via server 140 via networkconnections 145, 150.

FIG. 2 is illustrative of a computerized device 200 representative ofaspects of user terminal 130, server 140, SMC 110 and phaco system 105.Computerized device 200 is capable of executing software, such as anoperating system (OS) and a variety of computing applications. Theoperation of exemplary computerized device 200 is controlled by computerreadable instructions stored in a computer readable storage medium 210,such as a hard disk drive (HDD), optical disk such as a CD or DVD,random access memory (RAM), solid state drive, a USB “thumb drive,” orthe like. Such instructions may be executed within central processingunit (CPU) 205 to cause computerized device 200 to perform operations.Typically, the CPU is implemented in an integrated circuit called amicroprocessor. In operation, the CPU fetches, decodes, and executesinstructions from storage device 210. Such instructions may be includedin software such as an operating system (OS), executable programs suchas the herein described applications, and the like.

The user terminal, SMC, and phaco system may also comprise a display forviewing visual output generated by computerized device 200, responsiveto operation of the aforementioned computing program, such as an app.Such visual output may include text, graphics, animated graphics, and/orvideo, for example. The display may be implemented with an LCD orLED-based or other flat panel display, for example.

Network adapter 215 may provide access to a network which may includeone or more of a local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN),Internet, an intranet, an extranet, or the like. The network providesremote access to computerized device 200 for transferring software andinformation electronically. Additionally, the network may provide fordistributed processing, which may involve more than one cooperatingcomputerized devices in performing a task. It is appreciated that thenetwork configurations described are exemplary and other means ofestablishing communication links between computerized device 200 andremote users may be used. Network interface 215 may communicate with thenetwork using any available wired or wireless technologies. Suchtechnologies may include, by way of non-limiting example, wired andwireless interfaces such as gigabit ethernet, wifi, cellular data, orthe like.

It is appreciated that exemplary computerized device 200 is merelyillustrative of a computing environment in which the herein describedsystems and methods may operate, and does not limit the implementationof the herein described systems and methods in computing environmentshaving differing components and configurations. That is to say, theinventive concepts described herein may be implemented in these or othercomputing environments using these or other components andconfigurations.

Computerized device 200 may be deployed in networked computingenvironment such as that illustrated in FIG. 1 . In general, the abovedescription for computing system 100 applies to server, user terminal,and computerized operating room equipment coupled to a networkedenvironment, in which the herein described apparatus and methods may beemployed. Network communications may use one or more known communicationprotocols, such as hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), file transferprotocol (FTP), simple object access protocol (SOAP), wirelessapplication protocol (WAP), or the like. Additionally, the networkedcomputing environment may utilize various data security protocols suchas secured socket layer (SSL), pretty good privacy (PGP), virtualprivate network (VPN) security, or the like. Each network attacheddevice may be provided with an operating system able to support one ormore computing and/or communication applications such as a web browser,email, user interfaces, medical device controls, and data analysis andformatting applications and the like discussed herein.

Embodiments of the herein disclosed apparatus, systems, and methods mayinclude one or more applications (apps) running on a user terminal ornetworked server in a computing environment such as that discussed abovewith respect to FIGS. 1 and 2 . The app may interface directly withcomputer-based devices in the operating room in substantially real time,or may interact with a device through a server. In particular, the phacosystem may employ user-selected application program control settings tocontrol aspects such as vacuum rate, flow rate, aspiration rate,ultrasound power applied using a hand piece, bottle height, pressurizedinfusion rate, cut rate, diathermy power, and the like.

One or more of the phaco system(s), the server(s), or user terminal(s)may accumulate, or “log”, data of a single surgical or a plurality ofprocedures, and store the data. Such data may include information fromprocedures, settings programmed by a doctor or scrub nurse, etc. Storeddata may be shared or transferred between the phaco system(s), theserver(s), the SMC(s), and/or user terminal(s). Such sharing ortransferring may occur automatically based in a program running on oneor more of the phaco system, the server, SMC, and/or the user terminal.Similarly, the sharing and/or transfer of data may occur responsive to auser request or instructions input using the user terminal.

Logged information may include phaco device settings and parameters,phaco application and/or sensor operation, surgical device parametersand actions taken using a surgical device, and the like. Informationpertaining to the surgeon, the patient, the equipment and the like mayalso be monitored and stored. The logged data may thus be saved,uploaded, or downloaded, such as for repeated use by a surgeon indifferent operating rooms, or in connection with certain patientparameters.

Such tracking and logging capability may further allow, for example, forinventory tracking across one or many facilities. For example eachfacility, or a plurality of co-owned or controlled facilities, may havesecure access to the server which, through the aforementioned datalogging, provides information regarding supplies used during one or moreprocedures. Thereby, each facility may automatically replenishinventories of supplies, for example, when inventory drops below athreshold.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the disclosed apparatus,systems, and methods may be used to remotely interact with AbbottMedical Optics Inc.'s WHITESTAR Signature® phacoemulsification systemother similar types of systems. A universal app may be provided, forexample, for execution on a user terminal such as an iPhone®, iPad®, ortablet that allows for remote interaction with the phaco system. The appmay allow for navigation of the controls of the phaco system bydisplaying on the user terminal a screen similar to that displayed onthe screen of the phaco system in the operating room.

In accordance with embodiments described herein, and with reference toFIG. 3 , there is shown a cataract surgery support method comprisingobtaining computer-readable information from a network attachedcomputer-based phacoemulsification system running at least oneapplication utilizing selected settings during a cataract operationprocedure in a cataract operating room, and storing the obtainedinformation. The information may be stored at the user terminal used torequest the information, or may be stored in a remote server.Thereafter, a user may request the stored information from the userterminal. In addition, computer-readable information may be obtainedfrom a surgical media center (SMC), for example, an audio recordingand/or a video recording of activity in the operating room during thecataract operation procedure. Surgeon-dictated audio may be overlaidonto the SMC data.

Thus, the obtained information includes at least one of diagnosticinformation, selectable settings, and operational information recordedduring the procedure, of the phacoemulsification system used during theprocedure. If the surgical procedure includes a plurality of stages, theobtained information may include information of each stage, such as thedate and time of the beginning and end of each of the stages of theprocedure, and of the beginning and end of the entire procedure.

Further, the obtained information may include identifiers of personspresent during the procedure, including a patient on whom the procedureis performed, a surgeon performing the procedure, and operating roomstaff participating in the procedure and an indicator of theirrespective duties. The obtained information may also include informationof supplies consumed during the procedure, including the identity of thesupplies and the respective amount used. An application running in thesystem, for example on the server or in a user terminal, mayautomatically place an order for operating room supplies to replenishthose consumed during the procedure.

The user terminal may be used to request information of one or moreoperating room procedures. For example, a user may select one or moredata items for analysis and display the output in a predefined format.An application running on the user terminal or on a server may formatthe obtained information, and may provide the formatted information tothe user terminal responsive to the request. Information of a pluralityof cataract operation procedures may be compiled and analyzed. Forexample, an application may be configured to perform a predeterminedanalysis and format the results in a predetermined manner. The userterminal may then be used to request an updated analysis. Responsive tothe request, the results of the analysis may be provided to the userterminal. The results may be formatted for display on a particular userterminal using identifying information of that terminal, for example.For example, the formatted information may include one or more ofoperating room efficiency, energy usage (e.g. effective phaco time(EPT)), energy usage over time, flow rate, flow rate over time, vacuumrate, vacuum rate over time, procedure time, time between procedures,procedures per selected time period, characteristics of a plurality ofsurgeons (e.g. number of surgeries per period of selected time, settingsused, etc.), characteristics of a plurality of operating room staffpersons (e.g. operating room turnover rate, etc.), error logs for use byservice technicians (e.g. system errors) and/or operating room staff anddoctors (user errors, such as errors indicating the foot pedal is notattached or a disposable component is not attached properly attached tothe system), and a comparison of supplies used in a plurality ofprocedures. Illustratively, the analysis results may include acorrelation of information pertaining to the plurality of surgicalprocedures, efficiency, product usage, and phacoemulsification systemprogram settings.

The request may include a type identifier of the user terminal, and theformatting provided may be selected for presentation on the identifieduser terminal type. For example, the remote terminal may be one of asmart phone, a tablet computer, a portable computer, and a desktopcomputer, and the requested information may be formatted forpresentation on the particular user terminal. The presentation formatmay be chosen from predefined templates or created and/or customized bythe user.

Preferably, the operating room support system includes securitymechanisms to protect access to data pertaining to procedures. Inembodiments, user access to the system, such as access by a userterminal, includes user authorization. Thereby, non-authorized users aredenied access to data. Further, different authorization levels may beincluded, such as to restrict a user's ability to modify data, or tomodify settings, etc. Such authorization may include at least passwordor other knowledge-based protection, but may also include other securitymechanisms such as biometric identifiers, encryption using hard or softencryption keys, and the like.

In embodiments, diagnostic information such as log files may beretrieved from one or more systems. Such information may be obtained,for example, by a technician, on a routine basis during regularmaintenance, or responsive to a customer call, question, or complaint.The log files would contain error information to assist withdiagnosing/troubleshooting problems.

In an exemplary embodiment, a smartphone user terminal may run an appthat will retrieve information directly from a phaco system such asAbbott Medical Optics Inc.'s WHITESTAR Signature® phacoemulsificationsystem via a wireless network connection. The smartphone may retrievesurgical information pertaining to effective phaco time (EPT), andsurgical time (ST) per case, summarize information by surgeon, anddevelop chart information for graphical representation of data. That mayinclude one or more of the number of cases by surgeon and/or surgeonprogram, average EPT usage, and totals by surgeon. The app may alsoretrieve data for a select specific predefined period of time, e.g., 7,30, 90 days, or a user-defined time period. Obtained information mayinclude the total time for a procedure (start to finish), operating roomturnaround time, a graphical representation of a day's surgicalprocedures, etc.

Illustratively, the smartphone application may retrieve data directlyfrom the WHITESTAR Signature® System, or may retrieves data via anetwork facility, such as the Abbottlink network. The system mayindicate EPT usage per case, and reduces the need to record valuesfollowing each case.

FIGS. 4-12 show exemplary charts and graphs illustrating the display ofinformation provided by the system on a user terminal. FIG. 4 shows anillustrative stacked bar chart that shows EPT times by case. The barsseparate energy used in each of a plurality of submodes. The EPT usagemay be selectable by date.

FIG. 5 shows an illustrative pie chart summarizing average EPT times bysurgeon. As shown, surgeon EPT usage is averaged over a period of time.The chart shows a breakdown of use and accumulated EPT by submode.

FIG. 6 shows an illustrative bar chart summarizing average case time bysurgeon. The chart summarizes surgical procedure time for a surgeon overa given period. Averages are based on the actual number of cases in theday. The time period may be selectable or customizable.

FIG. 7 shows an illustrative bar chart showing total cases for a surgeonby program. The chart shows surgeon program usage, and identifies howoften a particular program was used over a given time period (shown atthe bottom of the screen).

FIG. 8 shows an illustration of surgeon information and doctor programs.The chart shows a snapshot of surgeon program settings shown as a dropdown window. It identifies main surgical parameters, which may beselectable by surgeon and program.

FIG. 9 shows a bar chart comparing numbers of cases by surgeon. Thechart identifies how many cases were performed, and by which surgeons.It can help a user to understand who is using the system. It is alsouseful in identifying disposable inventory usage, and can be used tolaunch an inventory replenishment app and/or interface.

FIG. 10 shows a bar chart comparing average EPT by surgeon. The chartshows surgeon usage, and identifies total EPT usage by surgeon. EPT isaveraged based on the actual number of cases performed.

FIG. 11 shows a graph showing operating room trending. The lineindicates operating room efficiency. Such a graph can identify, forexample, how quickly the operating room is prepared for the nextpatient, and can provide trending information in a format that isunderstandable at a glance.

FIG. 12 is a bar chart showing system reliability. The chart showssystem events, and can identify error and warning type messages, trackuser notifications, etc. Such a chart can be used to educate customers,provide preventative maintenance, trending information, and the like.

Although the invention has been described and illustrated in exemplaryforms with a certain degree of particularity, it is noted that thedescription and illustrations have been made by way of example only.Numerous changes in the details of construction, combination, andarrangement of parts and steps may be made. Accordingly, such changesare intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure, theprotected scope of which is defined by the claims.

1-45. (canceled)
 46. A computer-based cataract surgery support method,comprising: receiving information from a user terminal for use insoftware-controlled network attached equipment in a cataract operatingroom; storing the received information; transferring the storedinformation to the network attached equipment in the operating room; andmodifying operating software of the network attached equipment inaccordance with the transferred information.
 47. The method of claim 46,wherein the transferred information includes program settings of acomputer-based phacoemulsification system.
 48. The method of claim 46,wherein the program settings are modified at the user terminal prior totransferring them to the network attached equipment in the operatingroom.